Nerve testing machine



- April 10, 1945. G. P. MAHONEY V NERVE TESTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 5, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR A'ITD R N EYE Geargfyl? Makoneiy P 1945- I G. P. MAHONEY 2,373,487

NERVE TESTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 5, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR Gearyalhfioney ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 10, 1945 T'UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE George P. Mahoney, Baltimore, Md.

Application January 5, 1942, Serial No. 425,703

1 Claim.

My invention relates to nerve detection, and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved electrical instrument for detecting impairment of nerves in the legs of race horses and the like.

The unnerving of race horses has frequently been practiced by unscrupulous trainers. Often when a racer gives way to soreness in a weak leg, the conditioners employ the services of a veterinarian to kill the nerves above the weak joint of the leg. After th nerves have been cut, the racer performs on a leg which is dead. Frequently an unnerved leg will give way during the running of a race. It often happens that the hoof of the horse rots all as a result of having been unnerved. Unnerving has been the cause of many broken legs. Heretofore there has been no way of definitely detecting when a racer has been unnerved.

Accordingly, an object of my invention to provide a novel instrument designed to pass an electric current through the main nerves in the legs of the animal to determine whether the nerves have been impaired. If the nerves have been destroyed, there is no reaction on the part of the animal to th current. However, animals which have not been unnerved will indicate that fact through shifting of their legs and observable muscular movement.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a face view of an instrument in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a view taken substantially along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view with the wall removed;

Figure 4 is a sectional detail view of a transformer and resistance incorporated in a housing;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an attaching clip for holding the contacts or electrodes against the leg of the animal; and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit.

In the embodiment selected for illustration, I make use of a housing or cabinet l8 which is of small proportions to facilitate handling and carrying from place to place. The front face l2 of the cabinet is provided with an opening l4 closed by a face plate It provided with a circular opening it in which is snugly fitted one end of a housing 26 secured to a mount 22 attached to the rear wall 24, as by screws 26. Inside the housing 26 is arranged a transformer 28 attached to the mount 22. A fixed resistance 30 is also secured to the mount 22 while a second resistance 32 is mounted on a U-shaped bracket 34 attached to the mount 22 by screws 36.

Rotatably journaled in the bracket 34 isv a screw 38 threadedly connected with av contact 46 slidingly engaging the resistance 32. The resistance 32' parallels the bight 42 of the bracket 34 and the contact 40 is sli'dably mounted on the bight. To the contact 40 is connected a pointer 44 which extends through a slot 46 in the end wall 48 of the housing 26. To the end wall 48 is attached a voltage indicating scale 56 along which the pointer 44 slides to indicate service voltage being utilized, as when the contact 48 is adjusted along the resistance 32. The pointer 44 moves as a unit with the contact 40 when the latter is adjusted along the resistance 32 through rotation of the screw 38.

The screw 38 is restrained from longitudinal movement and is provided with a square end 52 for connection with a socket 54 at one end of a tool 56 insertable through an opening 58 in the side wall 66. A knurled knob 62 is attached to one end of the tool 56 to facilitate rotation thereof, and the housin 20 is provided with an opening 64 through which the square end 52 extends and into which the socket 54 is receivable for connection with the square end.

In Figure 6, the resistance 30 is connected with a wire 64 attached to a plug 66 which may be plugged into an ordinary wall outlet. The second wire 68 attached to the plug 66 is lugged to a wire Hi leading to a dial lamp 12 located above the scale 50, as in Figure 1. The second wire 14 connected with the dial lamp '12 leads to a terminal 16 Of a service switch 18 mounted on the wall 48 of a housing 28. The wire l8 leads to a terminal of a switch 82 also mounted on the wall 48. The switch element 84 of the switch 82 is connected with a wire 86 lugged to the wire 14.

To the other end of the resistance 30 is connected a wire 86 connected with the resistance 32 engaged by the contact 40. The bight 42 is connected with a wire 88 connected with the primary winding 9b of the transformer 28, this winding connecting with a wire 92 to which a wire 94 connected with the resistance 32 is lugged. Wire 82 connects with the switch element 96 of the switch l8. Wire 88 leads to a terminal 98 of a socket I00 mounted on the wall 48, this socket being provided with a second terminal I02 connected with a wire I84 lugged to the wire 92. The cord I06 of an extension lamp I68 may be plugged into the socket I86.

One end of the secondary winding H0 of the transformer 28 connects with a wire H2 leading to a terminal H4 in a connector H6. The other end of the winding III] is connected with a wire IIB leading to the second terminal I26 of the connector I I 6. The wires I22 and I 24 of a cord I26 are respectively connectable with the terminals II I and I213 through the medium of a companion connector plug I28, see Figure l. Electrodes or contacts I30 and I32 are respectively connected with the wires I22 and I24. These electrodes are mounted in a head I34 at one end of a handle I36 on the cord I28 to facilitate manipulation thereof. A similar handle I33 is provided on the cord I86 to facilitate handling of the extension lamp I08.

A neon lamp I40 is mounted on the face plate It and is electrically connected with the wires H2 and H8 through the medium ofleads I 42 and I44, respectively. An indicator lamp I 45 is mounted on the face plate I6 and electrically connected with the wires 64 and 68 to indicate whether the plug 56 is making contact with the outside circuit.

, In operation, the electrodes I30 and I32 are applied to the leg region under examination. The voltage may be regulated through adjustment ofthe screw 38. When the connectors H6 and I28 are coupled, the electrodes I30 and I32 are electrically connected with the secondary winding I III. The neon lamp I40 is also electrically connected with the secondary winding. The closing of the switch 18 energizes the circuit. When making examination in the dark, the lamp I08 is plugged into the socket I00. With the switch 82 open, the dial lamp 72 is energized, and closing of the switch deenergizes the dial lamp in that the current is by-passed through the terminal 81!.

The unit is compact, light in Weight 'and easily carried from place to place. I have found that an instrument of this typev is highly effective in determining the nerve conditions of the animal.

Figure 5 illustrates a modified electrode unit wherein the head M8 corresponding to the head I34 is provided with a springclip I50 which embraces the leg of the animal for holding the electrodes I 52 thereagainst.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention, that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

In testing apparatus of the character described,

a rectangular cabinet having a rear wall and a the rear wall of the cabinet, a cylindrical housing connected to and extending forwardly from said mount and provided with a horizontally extending graduated slot in its front wall, the front wall of the housing fitting into the opening in the front wall of the cabinet, a U-shaped bracket fastened to and extending forwardly of said mount within the housing to a point adjacent the front wall, a resistance element supported in transverse position on the bracket, a screw rotatablymounted on the bracket adjacent the slot in the front wall, a contact element operatively related with said resistance element and mounted for transverse movement by said screw, a pointer connected to said contact element and extending through said graduatedslot, a selectively operated switch mounted on the front wall of the housing, a transformer and a fixed resistance element connected in circuit with said first resistance and switch within the housing, an extension stem extending through registering openings in the side walls of the cabinet and housing and detachably engageable with the screw for manual turning of the screw from a position exteriorly of the cabinet, and a plurality of conductors connected with the circuit in the housing and extending exteriorly of the housing and cabinet for connection with a source of electric current and with contact electrodes respectively,

GEORGE P. MAHONEY. 

